All I Ever Need Is You
Page 11
Dylan laughed. “I’ll make sure Grace puts it on the list.”
“First tell her how happy I am for you guys. Then put my name at the top of your baby name list.”
“What are we so happy about?” Rafe asked, surprising them both on the dock. He’d always been able to sneak up on them, even as a kid. No wonder he was such a great private investigator. No one ever saw him coming.
Dylan didn’t even make a pretense of trying to keep things on that down-low he’d mentioned. “Grace is pregnant.”
“Incredible news.” Rafe pulled Dylan into a hug. “Although I’ve got one piece of advice. You’d better tell Mia soon. Because if she ends up being the last to know, you’re—” He slid a finger across his throat.
Dylan suddenly looked nervous. “I’d better call Grace to figure this whole spilling-the-beans thing out. Because if Mia or Mom hears the news from one of you first...”
As soon as Dylan got up to head back into the boathouse, Rafe took his seat. “I was just about to give you a call. You free tonight for dinner?”
Adam knew he had a hell of a poker face. Which was good, because he was about to use it. “Nope, I’ve got plans.”
“Blonde or brunette?”
Adam gave his brother the laugh he was looking for. “Trying to live vicariously through me?”
“Hell, no.” Rafe didn’t look even remotely interested in being single again. “Brooke is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“You know I’m happy for you. For all of you. But every time you guys say stuff like that...” Adam mimed being sick.
“You’ll understand one day,” Rafe said, absolutely serious. “And too bad about dinner. I told Brooke it would be a long shot getting the four of us together tonight.”
“Who’s the fourth?”
“The wedding planner.”
Though Adam felt his poker face slip, he needed to be absolutely sure. “Kerry’s going to dinner with you tonight?”
“Hopefully. Brooke is probably on with her now to see if she can make it on such late notice, since we didn’t know we’d be able to get into town until this morning.” Rafe shot him a rather assessing look. “You sure you can’t push back your plans a couple of hours so that the four of us could talk more about the gazebo?”
Adam made a show of thinking about it. “You know what? If it will make your blushing bride happy, I’m happy to change my plans. Why don’t you let me make us a reservation for the Four Seasons restaurant? I’m pretty sure I can pull a few strings to get us in.”
Both of their cell phones rang thirty seconds later. Rafe got up to take his call from Brooke just as Dromoland Weddings & Events came up on Adam’s screen.
Kerry didn’t say hello, just barreled straight in. “I’m so sorry, but I can’t meet you tonight after all. Not because I want to back out on our plans, but because Rafe and Brooke just asked me to have dinner with them. With the wedding coming up so soon, and they’re so rarely in town, I couldn’t say no.”
“I’m glad you said yes. I’ll be there, too.”
“You will?”
“Rafe said they want to have dinner together so that the four of us can talk more about the gazebo plans.”
“They do?”
“I’m pretty sure they’re trying to set us up.”
“They are?”
Kerry was always eloquent and poised. The fact that she was barely able to string words together right then meant that she was surprised and more than a little flustered.
“My entire family is hell-bent on marrying me off.” Adam glanced over to his brother, on the phone with his fiancée, almost certain that Rafe and Brooke were working on taking their scheming up a level now that they knew both Kerry and Adam would be at dinner. “If I had to guess, I’d say they’ve decided you’d be a perfect addition to the family.”
Her horrified silence said more than words ever could. Finally, she said, “You’re joking, aren’t you?”
“I’m sure Brooke will be calling you back any minute now to let you know that I’m coming, too. And if you listen real close, you’ll hear the sound of gleeful matchmaking behind every word.” Literally five seconds later, he heard the familiar click on the line that meant Kerry was getting another call.
“That’s her now,” Kerry confirmed.
“I’ll see you tonight. Both during—and after—dinner.”
“After?” Her earlier horror quickly turned to breathlessness. “You still want to meet after dinner?”
He could hear every one of the second thoughts she’d been having in her question. “I do, but that decision is still entirely up to you.”
Because even though he’d never wanted a night more, he wouldn’t let himself push her into anything she didn’t want to do—he’d never forgive himself for taking something she wasn’t ready to give.
He expected her to hang up to take Brooke’s call, but she surprised him by saying instead, “I told you I wouldn’t back out.”
That should have been good enough for him. Any other fool would have taken her promise and run with it. But Adam wanted more from Kerry tonight than a promise to show up.
“I don’t want you to meet me upstairs in the hotel suite after dinner because you gave your word. I want you to meet me because—”
“First tell her how happy I am for you guys. Then put my name at the top of your baby name list.”
“What are we so happy about?” Rafe asked, surprising them both on the dock. He’d always been able to sneak up on them, even as a kid. No wonder he was such a great private investigator. No one ever saw him coming.
Dylan didn’t even make a pretense of trying to keep things on that down-low he’d mentioned. “Grace is pregnant.”
“Incredible news.” Rafe pulled Dylan into a hug. “Although I’ve got one piece of advice. You’d better tell Mia soon. Because if she ends up being the last to know, you’re—” He slid a finger across his throat.
Dylan suddenly looked nervous. “I’d better call Grace to figure this whole spilling-the-beans thing out. Because if Mia or Mom hears the news from one of you first...”
As soon as Dylan got up to head back into the boathouse, Rafe took his seat. “I was just about to give you a call. You free tonight for dinner?”
Adam knew he had a hell of a poker face. Which was good, because he was about to use it. “Nope, I’ve got plans.”
“Blonde or brunette?”
Adam gave his brother the laugh he was looking for. “Trying to live vicariously through me?”
“Hell, no.” Rafe didn’t look even remotely interested in being single again. “Brooke is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“You know I’m happy for you. For all of you. But every time you guys say stuff like that...” Adam mimed being sick.
“You’ll understand one day,” Rafe said, absolutely serious. “And too bad about dinner. I told Brooke it would be a long shot getting the four of us together tonight.”
“Who’s the fourth?”
“The wedding planner.”
Though Adam felt his poker face slip, he needed to be absolutely sure. “Kerry’s going to dinner with you tonight?”
“Hopefully. Brooke is probably on with her now to see if she can make it on such late notice, since we didn’t know we’d be able to get into town until this morning.” Rafe shot him a rather assessing look. “You sure you can’t push back your plans a couple of hours so that the four of us could talk more about the gazebo?”
Adam made a show of thinking about it. “You know what? If it will make your blushing bride happy, I’m happy to change my plans. Why don’t you let me make us a reservation for the Four Seasons restaurant? I’m pretty sure I can pull a few strings to get us in.”
Both of their cell phones rang thirty seconds later. Rafe got up to take his call from Brooke just as Dromoland Weddings & Events came up on Adam’s screen.
Kerry didn’t say hello, just barreled straight in. “I’m so sorry, but I can’t meet you tonight after all. Not because I want to back out on our plans, but because Rafe and Brooke just asked me to have dinner with them. With the wedding coming up so soon, and they’re so rarely in town, I couldn’t say no.”
“I’m glad you said yes. I’ll be there, too.”
“You will?”
“Rafe said they want to have dinner together so that the four of us can talk more about the gazebo plans.”
“They do?”
“I’m pretty sure they’re trying to set us up.”
“They are?”
Kerry was always eloquent and poised. The fact that she was barely able to string words together right then meant that she was surprised and more than a little flustered.
“My entire family is hell-bent on marrying me off.” Adam glanced over to his brother, on the phone with his fiancée, almost certain that Rafe and Brooke were working on taking their scheming up a level now that they knew both Kerry and Adam would be at dinner. “If I had to guess, I’d say they’ve decided you’d be a perfect addition to the family.”
Her horrified silence said more than words ever could. Finally, she said, “You’re joking, aren’t you?”
“I’m sure Brooke will be calling you back any minute now to let you know that I’m coming, too. And if you listen real close, you’ll hear the sound of gleeful matchmaking behind every word.” Literally five seconds later, he heard the familiar click on the line that meant Kerry was getting another call.
“That’s her now,” Kerry confirmed.
“I’ll see you tonight. Both during—and after—dinner.”
“After?” Her earlier horror quickly turned to breathlessness. “You still want to meet after dinner?”
He could hear every one of the second thoughts she’d been having in her question. “I do, but that decision is still entirely up to you.”
Because even though he’d never wanted a night more, he wouldn’t let himself push her into anything she didn’t want to do—he’d never forgive himself for taking something she wasn’t ready to give.
He expected her to hang up to take Brooke’s call, but she surprised him by saying instead, “I told you I wouldn’t back out.”
That should have been good enough for him. Any other fool would have taken her promise and run with it. But Adam wanted more from Kerry tonight than a promise to show up.
“I don’t want you to meet me upstairs in the hotel suite after dinner because you gave your word. I want you to meet me because—”
